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Fly on the Wall

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A recent AP article chronicling the difficulties faced by openly gay students on historically black college campuses quoted Rev. William Owens, a historically black college graduate and head of the Coalition of African-American Pastors in Memphis. According to Owens, school administrators can say "no" to gay students who ask for inclusion and acceptance.

"I don't think they have to give a lot of reasons,'' said Owens, who, like other black pastors, worries that homosexuality "is a threat to the black family.''

The article was inconclusive as to whether or not gays should use separate water fountains and toilets.

Urban Camping

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From Action News 5: "Joe Birch went to check out a tent [that] sits on a hill near Preston and Waldorf in South Memphis. ... A lifelong neighbor and concerned citizen says the tent is a hub of criminal activity where addicts trade stolen items for drugs. ... In a one-mile radius of the intersection of Preston and Waldorf in the last 30 days, there were 27 narcotics arrests, 3 robberies, 17 aggravated assaults, 50 burglaries, 38 domestic-violence arrests, 30 thefts from homes and 11 from cars."

The news report failed to mention whether or not the tent's occupants were flying a red flag.